LeckvsLeesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Leck” and “Lees” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,120
“Leck” frequency rank
#49,048
“Lees” frequency rank
61168
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Leck Lees
Definition undichte Stelle in einem Gefäß oder einer Leitung, durch die dessen Inhalt (bspw. Flüssigkeiten oder Gase) austreten oder hereinströmen können Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Lee

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Leck and Lees apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Leck
4 ch
Lees

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Leck ([lɛk]) and Lees ([leːs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61168, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Leck is recorded at frequency rank #12,120, classified as anoun, pronounced [lɛk]. Lees is at rank #49,048, tagged as anoun, pronounced [leːs].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 61168, this pair ranks #759,816 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Leck vs Lees

Shared letters: el. Private to "Leck": ck. Private to "Lees": s.

"Leck" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Lees" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Leckelck · lcek · lecck · leckk · lekc · lleck
  • Leeseles · leess · llees

Frequency comparison

Leck#12,120
Lees#49,048

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Leck" and "Lees" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([lɛk] versus [leːs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Leck" or "Lees"?
"Leck" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,120 in our German list, against #49,048 for "Lees". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Leck vs Lees

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Leck” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list